The Ministry of Ayush has issued a “warning” to all Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathic manufacturers to adhere strictly to labeling and advertising regulations, failure to which they may face legal repercussions.
This comes in the wake of the case regarding Patanjali Ayurved’s “misleading” ads, following which the Supreme Court recently demanded a public apology from them.
As per reports, the Ministry has placed under scrutiny advertisements that make claims of “100% safe,” “guaranteed treatment,” or a “permanent cure” from ayurvedic, homoeopathic, or other traditional drug manufacturers. The ministry has provided clarification concerning products making unsubstantiated claims or displaying false information. This includes items with a “green logo” claiming to be “100% vegetarian” or falsely stating that the drug is “approved or certified by the Ministry”.
According to the reports, the advisory stated, “Any misleading claim or advertisement in any form or on any platform will attract consequent legal actions by the competent authorities.”
The Ministry has ordered state drug licensing officials to examine all drugs that claim to be “certified or approved by the Ministry of Ayush,” whether on the label or in advertisements, to ensure they comply with regulations.
“It has come to the notice of the Ministry of Ayush that some Ayush drug manufacturers are mentioning “certified or approved by the Ministry of Ayush” on the label of their drug or product or in the advertisement in print, electronic media,” it said.
The ministry stated clearly that it doesn’t play a part in granting manufacturing licenses or approvals for any Ayush drug or product. However, it cautioned that any future claim on the label or advertisement will result in legal action by the Ministry of Ayush against the alleged manufacturer.
It also mentioned that the license issued by a state authority is only permission to manufacture or sell a specific drug or product based on the fulfillment of conditions under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940.
The advisory has been sent to various authorities, including all state Ayush drug licensing authorities. They have been asked to share it with all the license holders under their jurisdiction. Additionally, it has been shared with all Ayush drug manufacturers and their associations.
The advisory has also been forwarded to the National Pharmacovigilance Coordination Centre. This center oversees and designs safety profiles for medications, issuing alerts if new side effects are reported. They have been instructed to “ensure reporting of such claims of approval or certification by Ministry of Ayush to concerned State Licensing Authority, under intimation to this Ministry of Ayush”.
